New recipes for concrete -- and new ways to monitor old concrete -- aim for safer, longer-lasting bridges. Penn State civil engineering faculty are researching methods for enhancing the maintenance and durability of civil infrastructure, including anything made of concrete, from bridges to roads to buildings.

High concentrations of dissolved iron from abandoned coal mines in Pennsylvania have been contaminating some of the Commonwealth’s streams and rivers for many years, potentially affecting aquatic habitats and drinking water for millions of residents. To combat this problem, a team of Penn State researchers has proposed a method to eliminate much of the iron before it reaches the waterways.

Gordon Warn, associate professor of civil engineering, along with two other Penn State faculty members, recently received a National Science Foundation award to fund their research on resilient and sustainable building design.

According to the Schuylkill Action Network, the Schuylkill River and its tributaries provide drinking water to more than 1.5 million Pennsylvania residents and habitats for both fish and wildlife. It’s also being actively polluted.

Ahmad Rahimian, chief executive and director of building structures for WSP USA, will deliver the 2014 Kavanagh Lecture at 7:30 p.m. on April 3 in 108 Forum on the University Park campus of Penn State. The event is free and open to the public.

Two new faculty members joined the College of Engineering at the start of spring semester. The faculty members are Sumeet Kumar Gupta, assistant professor of electrical engineering, and Xiaofeng Liu, assistant professor of civil engineering.